The Republic of Upper Volta (french: République de Haute-Volta) was a landlocked

West African West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, ...

country established on 11 December 1958 as a

self-governing colony In the British Empire, a self-governing colony was a colony with an elected government in which elected rulers were able to make most decisions without referring to the colonial power with nominal control of the colony. This was in contrast t ...

within the

French Community The French Community (1958–1960; french: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which ...

. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was the formal end of the "indigenous" () status of French subj ...

as the

French Upper Volta Upper Volta (french: Haute-Volta) was a colony of French West Africa established in 1919 in the territory occupied by present-day Burkina Faso. It was formed from territories that had been part of the colonies of Upper Senegal and Niger and th ...

. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

Etymology

The name Upper Volta indicated that the country contains the upper part of the

Volta River The Volta River is the main river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso. The main parts of the river are the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta. ...

History

Upper Volta obtained independence on 5 August 1960, with Maurice Yaméogo of the Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally (UDV-RDA) becoming the country's first president. A constitution was ratified the same year, establishing presidential elections by direct universal suffrage and a National Assembly with five-year terms. Shortly after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV-RDA. He had shown a deep authoritarian streak even before then, however; between the time he became prime minister of Upper Volta while it was still a French colony and independence two years later, opposition parties were subjected to increased harassment. On 3 January 1966, Yaméogo was overthrown in a coup d'état led by army chief of staff Sangoulé Lamizana. Although multiparty democracy was nominally restored four years later, Lamizana dominated the country's politics until he was himself overthrown in 1980. After a series of short-term presidencies,

Thomas Sankara Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara (; 21 December 1949 – 15 October 1987) was a Burkinabé military officer, Marxist–Leninist revolutionary, and Pan-Africanist, who served as President of Burkina Faso from his coup in 1983 to his deposition a ...

then came to power through a military

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

on 4 August 1983. After the coup, he formed the National Council for the Revolution (CNR), with himself as president. Under the direction of Sankara, the country changed its name on 4 August 1984, from Upper Volta to

, which means "Land of Incorruptible People".

Politics

From 1958 to 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a high commissioner: * Max Berthet (11 December 1958 to February 1959), * Paul Masson (February 1959 to 5 August 1960). From 1971 to 1987, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a prime minister: * Gérard Kango Ouedraogo (13 February 1971 to 8 February 1974) *

(4 August 1983 to 14 October 1987)

Symbols

Flag

The colours of the national flag corresponded to the names of its three main tributaries: the

Black Volta The Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river that flows through Burkina Faso for approximately 1,352 km (840 mi) to the White Volta in Dagbon, Ghana, the upper end of Lake Volta. The source of the Black Volta is in the Cascades Region of Bu ...

, the

White Volta The White Volta or Nakambé is the headstream of the Volta River, Ghana's main waterway. The White Volta emerges in northern Burkina Faso, flows through North Ghana and empties into Lake Volta in Ghana. The White Volta's main tributaries are the ...

and the Red Volta. The flag was identical to that of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

National Hymn

In French: ''Fière Volta de mes aieux,''
''Ton soleil ardent et glorieux''
''Te revêt d'or et de fierté''
''Ô Reine drapée de loyauté !'' ''Nous te ferons et plus forte, et plus belle''
''À ton amour nous resterons fidèles''
''Et nos cœurs vibrant de fierté''
''Acclameront ta beauté''
''Vers l'horizon lève les yeux''
''Frémis aux accents tumultueux''
''De tes fiers enfants tous dressés''
''Promesses d'avenir caressées'' ''Le travail de ton sol brûlant''
''Sans fin trempera les cœurs ardents,''
''Et les vertus de tes enfants''
''Le ceindront d'un diadème triomphant.'' ''Que Dieu te garde en sa bonté,''
''Que du bonheur de ton sol aimé,''
''L'Amour des frères soit la clé,''
''Honneur, Unité et Liberté.'' In English: Proud Volta of my ancestors,
Your ardent and glorious sun
Takes you with gold and pride
O Queen draped with loyalty! We will make you stronger and more beautiful
To your love we will remain faithful
And our hearts vibrant with pride
Will acclaim your beauty
Towards the horizon look up
Frisks with the tumultuous accents
Of your proud children all trained
Caressed promises of future The work of your burning ground
Endless will soak the ardent hearts,
And the virtues of your children
The girdle of a triumphant diadem. May God keep you in his goodness,
May the happiness of your beloved soil,
The love of the brethren be the key,
Honor, Unity and Freedom. This anthem was replaced in 1984 by a new anthem, the Ditanyè.

References

{{Coord, 12, 16, N, 2, 4, W, source:ptwiki_type:country_region:BF_, display=title French West Africa Former colonies in Africa Former French colonies French colonisation in Africa Upper Volta 20th century in Burkina Faso States and territories established in 1958 States and territories disestablished in 1960 1958 establishments in French West Africa 1958 establishments in the French colonial empire 1960 disestablishments in the French colonial empire Burkina Faso–France relations